Post Draft Series V: Jamar Wall

Entering the offseason in February the Cowboys had to be excited about their cornerbacks. With Terrance Newman, Mike Jenkins, and Orlando Scandrick all having decent season last year and Newman and Jenkins being Pro Bowlers. They even had Alan Ball in reserve to play the fourth cornerback. As it seems every year, things rarely stay the same. Ball has switched to safety and will likely be the starter on opening day leaving a noticeable depth issue in the corner spot.

The Cowboys addressed that by taking CB Jamar Wall out of Texas Tech. Wall was a three year starter for the Red Raiders being one of the top cover corners in the Big XII. Wall is noted for his good ball skills and decent speed to stay with receivers. To be honest, any corner that succeeds in the vaunted Big XII against those offences usually deserves seriously NFL attention. Wall is no exception to that. After a great career at Texas Tech and a very impressive performance in the East-West Shrine game most draft boards had Wall up around the second round heading into the Senior Bowl and later the Combine.

A poor showing at the Senior Bowl and not overly impressive numbers in workouts dropped Wall’s stock and he landed with the Cowboys in the sixth round. Wall has the potential to be a steal. If he can duplicate his impressive three years with Texas Tech, he will be in good shape. He will have to really improve his confidence. Getting torched by college all-stars may have had Wall doubting himself. At 5’10, 204 lbs., Wall has decent size and strength. He makes good decisions when the ball is in the air, and he isn’t afraid to stick his nose in there and make a hit or tackle. The Senior Bowl practices caused concern because he looked slower and hesitant. It might have been learning a new defence and not having enough time to get comfortable with it. With the Cowboys he will have lots of time to adjust and develop. He will not be pushing any of the big names ahead of him for playing time for a little while.

The Cowboys do have some players who will need to work hard to land a spot on the roster with Wall’s arrival. Cletis Gordon and Marquis Floyd will have to really stand out to over take Wall. Gordon has been with the Cowboys for a year now, after coming over from San Diego last year. He played mostly special teams when active last season and provides a little experience and good size and speed at the position. Floyd is a virtual unknown. After spending three years bouncing around the Arena League, he finally caught on with the Seahawks but was cut right away. He tried to catch on with some clubs but couldn’t stick and was out of football all last year.

The odds are in Wall’s favor, he just needs to step up and take advantage.